Highway safety

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Hydrogen gas, which is highly volatile, was found to be leaking from some of the canisters. As a result, eastbound and westbound lanes in the area were shut down. Dozens of nearby homes were evacuated.

Fortunately, the truck driver was not seriously injured and nearby residents were safely evacuated to a shelter.

But traffic was another matter. Many vehicles were caught in the mess on I-84. Commuters trying to avoid the highway were caught in traffic jams on local roads, including Route 34 in Newtown.

The highway was kept closed most of the day, as state troopers waited for a specialized team to safely unload the canisters of hydrogen gas.

No one has to remind western Connecticut residents how important I-84 is to their daily lives and to the commerce of this state, although this accident did that.

Nor does anyone need to be reminded of the dangers posed by speeding cars and trucks on I-84, although the natural suspicion is that speed was involved in this accident.

State troopers were too busy dealing with the emergency Tuesday to determine how the tractor trailer ended up on its side on a highway median at such an early hour when traffic is not heavy.

Whether speed was involved or not, this accident should encourage support for Governor Rell's proposal to install cameras on highways to catch speeders.

The cameras would take pictures of speeding vehicles and their license plates; the state would put tickets in the mail to the owners of the vehicles. "It's high time we put that technology to good use," Rell said.

Rell is proposing to start with a pilot project in southeastern Connecticut between Lyme and Old Lyme, on a stretch of I-95 where three people were killed in a tanker truck accident in November.

Any proposal to put cameras in public places raises concerns about privacy. But there already are cameras on highways in Connecticut. The state Department of Transportation's popular "Traffic Cams" allow commuters to check traffic congestion on the Internet. The difference here is that the cameras would be able to record license plates.

Other states use traffic cameras to catch speeders. Rell says if the I-95 pilot project convinces speeders to slow down, cameras could be installed on other highways -- including I-84.

Rell has proposed other measures to address highway safety -- including the hiring of more state troopers and truck safety inspectors. Her proposal to experiment with the use of traffic cameras fits well with those initiatives and deserves support.